


Don't Mention It

by Enid_Black



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Bucky needs a hug, I needed this after that freaking movie, Infinity War spoilers, M/M, Spoilers, Steve Needs a Hug, Tony didn't think he needed a hug, big comfort, but he did, fuck you Thanos, infinity war fix it, little hurt, self indulgent as freak, ye be warned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 08:41:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14733698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enid_Black/pseuds/Enid_Black
Summary: Infinity War fix-it, what else?Thanks to NepturnalHarianne, my awesome beta!!





	Don't Mention It

**Author's Note:**

> It seems that AO3 posted this two times! I've deleted the other one, I hope the other readers will understand!!

They did it. 

The Star Spangled Man with a Plan didn’t even know exactly how. At the end, Thor and Natasha had kept Thanos busy, Tony and he had found themselves with the gauntlet, and together they had managed to use it. The backlash from the gauntlet had been massive, the infinity gems had scattered away, they didn’t even know where, while the metal melt. Tony had even hit the metal with a power beam from the suit until it was a misshapen, unrecognizable and hopefully powerless thing.

They had seemingly succeeded. At least, as: 

1\. They weren’t dead;  
2\. There were many more people around than before, on that strange planet.

Travelling through the Bifrost, with Thor taking them back to earth, hadn’t even been weird after everything else. When they landed back in Wakanda, it was raining (and wasn’t it strange?). Steve stopped, letting the rain soak his hair, his beard, wash away the dirt, the blood, the sweat. He closed his eyes, and let himself fall on his knees, tilting his head up towards the sky. Some of the drops on his face were warm and salty, and they got to his mouth, making the cut on his upper lip sting.

He didn’t care.

He didn’t want to remember the last time he’d felt like that, but it was etched in his brain and he couldn’t help remembering. It was another time, another himself, but the same hollow inside.

The rain was cold on his face and a bit harsh as it fell heavily.

Still, he found himself unwilling to move.

Usually, he preferred to know things for sure. Now, not knowing if everything they’d done had really worked or not seemed better than the chance of failure. Failure meant that Bucky was lost forever and he really didn’t have any strength left to face that kind of scenario.

He had lost count of the time passed.

Tony had put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it, but had gone on. He had Pepper to come back to, and, hopefully, Peter. Thor had tried to bring him inside, to no avail, until Natasha had ushered the god of thunder away, caressing Steve on one cheek before getting inside.

He stayed there, motionless, maybe just a few minutes, maybe for hours.

He heard heavy footsteps coming towards him. He did not open his eyes.

The rain stopped falling on his face, the light lessening as they arrived in front of him.

A shift of air, someone kneeling, and he felt a hand cupping his head, bringing it forward, a cool, dry forehead touching his, nose brushing another nose, breath mingling with another, while his lungs started overworking. A smell he would have recognized anywhere hit him.

Steve whimpered but didn’t open his eyes.

“Stubborn punk,” the tender, familiar voice said, and the rain started falling on them again, while two arms, one soft flesh covering hard muscles, the other unyielding vibranium, hugged him close, the hand on his head falling on his neck, pushing Steve’s face towards the crook of his neck. Steve burrowed in the other’s arms, bringing his own arms around the other figure, squeezing tight, just as tight as he was being embraced.

“Bucky…” he sobbed, willing himself smaller, eyes still clutched shut, even if every other sense was filled with Bucky’s smell, his touch, his breathing, his voice, even his taste where Steve’s lips brushed his neck.

“I’m here, you stupid oaf, no need to be so dramatic. I’m here, Stevie.” Buck’s voice broke a little at the end, and hearing that nickname was what really opened the dams, wrecking sobs making Steve’s body shudder.

When the worst of it ended, Bucky pushed Steve a little, cupped his face and kissed him soundly. Steve whimpered and kissed back, clutching Bucky’s clothes in his fists.

“Let’s go inside, we ain’t gonna catch a cold, but sure being this damp ain’t making you any good. You’re exhausted, Stevie.”

Steve finally opened his eyes and his gaze moved fervently on Bucky’s beloved face.  
“Oh, look, my favourite baby blues…” Bucky murmured with a smile. He coaxed Steve to stand and found himself half carrying him. Steve let him, he was exhausted, physically and emotionally. 

They managed to get inside, where Sam strode towards them and hugged Steve tightly, not caring about getting damp, taking his weight as well.  
“You idiot…,” Sam said on his shoulder, then he pushed Steve at arm’s length and said “You did not sleep a wink, did you?” Steve smiled tiredly.

“I couldn’t, really. All I saw was you all, vanishing in front of me… and Bucky falling… no, not really the ideal to sleep.” Sam looked at him grudgingly, then he turned to Barnes. 

“I trust you to make him rest.” Bucky smiled, subtly putting his right hand around Steve’s left arm, making him stop swaying.

“Sure Sam.” He said, his voice rough.

Something red moved towards them and they turned slightly to see Wanda coming towards him.

“Wanda…” Steve said, holding out his free arm. Wanda didn’t lose time to burrow under his arm. She was small and Bucky knew how Steve, after Sokovia, had thought of her as of a little sister. “Oh, sweetheart.” He said. 

“I don’t know what you and Tony did, Steve… but thank you.” She said. Steve seemed puzzled for a moment, but everything became clearer when, looking around, he saw Thor talking with Vision, smiling openly. Steve hugged Wanda a bit tighter. Bucky exhaled in relief.

“I’m glad… I’m very, very glad…,” he said, slurring a bit. He was really half-dead on his feet. Bucky touched Wanda’s shoulder.

“Wanda, I need to bring him to rest, he’s going to fall asleep on his feet and trust me, carrying a passed out oaf is not an easy task, even enhanced.” 

Steve listed towards Bucky, and the Sergeant started bringing them both towards the lift. They met Tony halfway, who had gone towards them when they had started moving. He looked at Steve and at Bucky then, and extended his right hand towards the latter, who seemed surprised. He didn’t wait to see if it would be retracted, and shook it.

“I’m still not convinced you should be able to run free. But it’s my anger talking, and I know it should not be directed towards you. I won’t apologize, though.” Bucky seemed struck. 

“I… thank you?” he said. “No, really, thank you. I’m… I know this doesn’t solve anything, but I do am so so sorry, I cannot even describe how much…” he was almost mumbling, when Steve left his side to stagger towards Tony and hug him for dear life.

“OUUGH, Rogers, you’re lucky I have an excellent core strength otherwise we’d be on the floor now. Come on, man, I know, I know, I’m exhausted too pal, go to rest…” he said, patting his back. Tony looked at Bucky, “Can you take back your boyfriend and keep him from passing out on me?” Barnes got Steve back on him.

“Thank you, Stark.” Tony waved away.

“Don’t mention it. No, seriously, do not mention this anymore. Go to rest, that’s what we all need.”

Bucky nodded and guided Steve towards the lift, which opened, as they arrived there, on Shuri’s figure, tired but indefinitely happier. 

“Oh, White Wolf!” she exclaimed, and reached out to half hug him, without jostling Steve, who was smiling again at the young scientist slash princess. “I’m so happy to see you again. Oh, Steve, you look like death warmed over. Your usual rooms are still in order for you, and Bucky knows where to go. We’ll speak tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Shuri.” Bucky said, while pushing Steve in the lift, “see you tomorrow, ma’am.” Shuri shook her head and waived them away while the sliding door closed. In few minutes, they arrived to their usual quarters, and James made the captain sit on the bed. He then kneeled in front of him and started unlacing his boots.

“Hey, no, no, let me…” Steve said, fumbling with the wet laces.

“Don’t be stupid, Steve, you’re barely standing sit upright, let me do this for you, punk, okay? I’ll make sure to make you shine my boots soon enough.” He joked. Steve looked at him with teary eyes. Bucky made a quick job of getting Steve out of the boots and the wrecked uniform, then dried him perfunctorily with the towels he had put nearby, and helped him in the soft, dry clothes he had laid out just for this.

“I’m filthy…” Steve protested weakly, while Barnes was pushing him on the bed.

“You’ll wash when you don’t risk cracking your head in the shower stall. I’ll change the sheets personally.” He stood up and Steve made a pained sound. “I’m not going anywhere, don’t start with the whining.” He said, getting rid of the jacket and the jeans he was wearing and donning the sweatpants he had learnt to favour. He took another towel and rubbed his head thoroughly, trying to dry his hair as much as possible. Steve’s eyes didn’t leave his figure for a moment. James got in the bed and settled on Steve’s right side, his left arm under the pillow, sliding under Steve’s head. His right hand went on Steve’s chest, over his heart. “Sleep now, Stevie. I’ll be here…”

“I don’t want to sleep… I don’t want to see you falling again, or disappearing in front of me,” he said, turning to lay on the side, looking at the man in the low light coming from outside.

“I’ll wake you up if you have a nightmare and you’ll see that it is alright. You need sleep, Steve, even the super serum can’t do shit about your ugly mug when you’re sleep-deprived.” He started carding his flesh fingers through Steve’s hair, and kissed him sweetly. “Sleep, love, I’ll be here…”  
Steve tried to resist sleeping a bit more, but in the end, exhaustion had the upper hand. Bucky kept vigil for half an hour more, but then sleep caught him too. 

***

The light filtered through the semi-opened curtains, although it didn’t fall directly on the bed, so it wasn’t annoying. Bucky opened his eyes, lazy in a way he hadn’t felt in a long long time. Steve was still sleeping soundly, and the Sergeant was grateful that the nightmares had given them both a reprieve. It wouldn’t last, he knew it from experience, so he had learnt to enjoy nightmare-less nights when they came. They had moved during the night and now he was the big spoon. Steve seemed intent in making himself smaller, even in sleep, and Bucky had nothing against letting him. He had shouldered so much hurt and taken care of so many things, not only because of Thanos, but even before, before the day that “I’m with you ‘til the end of the line” shattered the cage Hydra had imprisoned him in. Bucky was grateful to Shuri and T’Challa for being able, now, to once again take care of his Stevie. He dared looking at the clock on the nightstand and smiled: it was almost noon. He didn’t usually sleep over fifteen hours, but coming back from… nothingness must have been more tiring than he thought. He was almost going to sleep again when Steve’s breath hitched. He waited for him to turn, but he didn’t at first. Then he turned, very very slowly, as if he was afraid of what he could find. Bucky made sure to smile sweetly at him. Steve turned in his arms and looked at him for long seconds.

“I’m not dreaming, am I? You’re real…,” Bucky kissed him, thoroughly, almost filthy, and was smugly pleased to hear Steve moan; in the feel of Steve’s fingers almost ripping the fabric of his shirt, in the hand held firmly against his scalp, Bucky knew he couldn’t pull away, and he didn’t even try to.”

“Real enough for you, punk?” Barnes asked, putting the bare minimum of space necessary to look at his now soft-eyed companion, with moist lips and reddened by the kiss and the stubble creasing finally in a smile.

“Yeah… real enough, for now.” Bucky hugged him, close and tight, as he let Steve burrow against him, his wet breath hot on his skin.  
A long stretch of silence made Bucky think that Steve was asleep again. He was almost dozing off when Steve murmured against his chest, lips on his heart.  
“How was it?” Bucky nuzzled his nose on Steve’s hair, grimacing at the matted hair. 

“How was what?” he asked back. 

“The… other side.” Added Steve, after a short hesitation. He wasn’t looking him in the eyes. Bucky took a moment to think about it.

“I don’t know… if I can manage to explain it. Someone would probably say that it was peaceful. But… I suppose I felt lonely. Like I was missing something or, better, someone. But… I don’t think I really was aware? Like, the time between the fight and when I found myself back was… non-existent.” Steve huffed a breath, and Bucky felt his arms close on him tighter. He had an idea that they wouldn’t be parted soon. Well, he would be glad to have a shower.

“Good. God, Buck… I don’t think I’ll stop having nightmares about you dissolving soon… fair warning.” 

“I know. We are a pair, aren’t we?” Steve’s answer was kissing him, snogging actually, for several long minutes. Bucky put his flesh hand on his head and threaded it into the hair and,

“UGH! Steve, that’s it, you need a shower!” he said, taking with difficulty his hand away from the matted hair. The captain started giggling at this.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Isn’t there a bathtub in the in-suite?” Steve asked.

“You know there is, you were actually awake most of your time in the palace.” Bucky answered, disentangling himself from the covers and Steve’s legs and arms, and then offering him his hand. Steve took it, and both of them got into the bathroom.

A bath would just solve one of their problems ( _“At least we’ll have a nice smell, Steve smells like our old couch in 1936, and we took it back from a dumpster.” “Thank you, Jerk, that’s how I get thanked for saving the universe? Seriously?” “Don’t be melodramatic, Stevie, now, and get in the tub.” “Only if you join me…” “I do not wish to be anywhere else…”_ ) but the coming day held news, a reunion to celebrate, and a mended friendship to cherish, so it wasn’t all bad.


End file.
